JP7115485B2 - Anomaly detection system, anomaly detection device, anomaly detection method, computer program, and chain - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to anomaly detection of equipment in which a chain is used.

2. Description of the Related Art A number of systems have been proposed for detecting anomalies in equipment using a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, or atmospheric pressure sensor for measuring the operating environment of the equipment, and a speed sensor or acceleration sensor for detecting movement of the equipment.

In Patent Document 1, a tenter including a clip chain formed by connecting tenter clips traveling on a tenter rail detects abnormalities such as rattling, looseness, and inclination of the tenter rail by a sensor provided in the tenter clip. A method is disclosed. In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a vibrometer is used as a sensor, and from changes in the output of the vibrometer during running on the tenter rail, it is possible to determine whether an abnormality such as rattling has occurred in the tenter rail. is detected.

JP 2009-107148 A

The method disclosed in Patent Literature 1 detects an abnormality in the tenter rail, but does not consider detecting it separately from an abnormality in the clip chain itself.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an abnormality detection system and an abnormality detection device that can detect an abnormality not only in a chain but also in the entire equipment using the chain while distinguishing the location where the abnormality occurs. , an anomaly detection method, a computer program and a chain.

An abnormality detection system according to the present disclosure includes a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor fixed to a chain attached to a device, and a detection unit that detects an abnormality in the chain or the device based on the output from the sensor. and a specifying unit that specifies a location where the abnormality detected by the detecting unit occurs.

In the anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure, the identifying unit identifies the location of the anomaly based on the position of the fixing location of the sensor in the device at each point in time.

An anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires information for specifying the position of the sensor, and transmits the output from the sensor and the information acquired by the position information acquisition unit by a wireless signal. a wireless communication unit, wherein the central device that receives the output and information transmitted by the wireless communication unit detects an abnormality in the chain or the device based on the output transmitted by the wireless communication unit. and the identification unit that identifies a location of occurrence of the abnormality detected by the detection unit based on information transmitted from the wireless communication unit.

In the anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure, the detection unit, the identification unit, and a wireless communication unit that transmits a wireless signal to another device are fixed to the chain together with the sensor, and the wireless communication unit When an abnormality is detected by the detection unit, the detected abnormality and the specified occurrence location are transmitted.

The anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure further includes an anomaly output unit that associates and outputs the anomaly detected by the detection unit and the location of occurrence identified by the identification unit.

In the abnormality detection system according to the present disclosure, the sensors are an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor, and the detection unit detects an abnormality based on an output from the acceleration sensor or an output from the angular velocity sensor.

The abnormality detection system according to the present disclosure is provided with a strain detection unit that detects the strain of the chain together with the sensor, and the detection unit detects an abnormality based on the output from the sensor or the output from the strain detection unit. detect.

The abnormality detection system according to the present disclosure includes a temperature sensor together with the sensor, and the detection unit detects an abnormality based on the output from the sensor or the output from the temperature sensor.

The anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure includes an imaging unit together with the sensor, and the detection unit detects an anomaly based on an output from the sensor or an image or video from the imaging unit.

The abnormality detection system according to the present disclosure includes a sound sensor together with the sensor, and the detection unit detects an abnormality based on the output from the sensor or the output from the sound sensor.

In the anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure, the sprocket wheel that feeds the chain is provided with a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, and the detection unit is attached to the sensor fixed to the chain and the sprocket wheel. Abnormalities in the chain, the equipment, or the sprocket wheel are distinguished and detected based on the output from the provided sensor.

In the anomaly detection system according to the present disclosure, the anomaly output unit outputs the location of an anomaly in the device by light.

An abnormality detection device according to the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires an output from a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor fixed to a chain attached to a device, and based on the output acquired by the acquisition unit, the A detection unit that detects an abnormality in the chain or the device, an identification unit that identifies the location of the detected abnormality based on the position of the fixed location of the sensor in the device at each time point, and detection by the detection unit. and an anomaly output unit that outputs the detected anomaly and the identified occurrence location in association with each other.

An abnormality detection method according to the present disclosure acquires an output from a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor fixed to a chain attached to a device, and detects an abnormality in the chain or the device based on the acquired output. Then, based on the position of the fixing point of the sensor in the device at each time, the location of the detected abnormality is identified, and the detected abnormality and the identified location are output in association with each other.

A computer program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to acquire an output from a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor fixed to a chain attached to a device, and detects an abnormality of the chain or the device based on the acquired output. is detected, based on the position of the fixing point of the sensor in the device at each time point, the location where the detected abnormality occurs is specified, and the detected abnormality and the specified occurrence location are associated and output. let it run.

The chain according to the present disclosure includes a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, an acquisition unit that acquires information for specifying its own position, and a process of correlating the output from the sensor and the information and storing or outputting to the outside. part is fixed.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, by fixing a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor to the chain and analyzing its output, not only the chain but also the equipment to which the chain is attached can be targeted, and the location of the abnormality (Factor) is identified. By using a chain to which such a sensor is fixed, it is possible to detect an abnormality by specifying the place of occurrence.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the location where the abnormality occurs is identified based on the position at each point in time of the location where the sensor, which is the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity sensor, is fixed to the chain. The position of the link to which the sensor is fixed can be identified by using the feed position of the chain, a radio wave receiver provided together with the sensor, or the like.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the central device receives an output from a sensor such as an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, detects an abnormality on the central device side, and identifies the location of the abnormality. For this reason, the chain includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires information for specifying the position of the fixed location of the acceleration sensor, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a wireless tag (eg RFID: Radio Frequency ID) reader, etc. , and a radio that transmits this information.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the detection of the abnormality and the identification of the location where the abnormality occurs are performed by the detection unit and the identification unit fixed on the chain, and the result of the detection of the abnormality is transmitted wirelessly. It is not necessary to prepare a separate special device just by attaching a sensor, which is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, including a detection part and a specification part, to the chain and preparing a device for receiving the result of the transmitted abnormality notification.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the detected anomaly and the location of the anomaly are output in association with each other. The output may be performed by a display panel using a liquid crystal panel or the like, lamp display, log output, or the like. Since the location where the abnormality has occurred is also output, the labor required to confirm the abnormality can be reduced.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, both an acceleration sensor and an angular rate sensor are provided. Combined use of sensors that measure different physical quantities enables highly accurate detection of a wide variety of abnormalities not only in the chain itself, but also in the equipment to which the chain is attached, and in the surroundings.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a strain detector is further provided in addition to the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity sensor. By using the strain detector together, it is possible to detect not only the chain itself, but also the equipment to which the chain is attached, and a wider variety of abnormalities in the surroundings with high precision.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a temperature sensor is provided in addition to the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity sensor. Combined use of the temperature sensor enables highly accurate detection of a wider variety of abnormalities not only in the chain itself, but also in equipment to which the chain is attached, and in the surrounding area.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, an imaging unit is further provided in addition to the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity sensor. By using the imaging unit, it is possible to visually capture not only the chain itself, but also the equipment to which the chain is attached, and the parts of the surroundings that are inaccessible to humans during operation. This makes it possible to detect various abnormalities and confirm the abnormalities.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a sound sensor is provided in addition to the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity sensor. Combined use of the sound sensor enables highly accurate detection of a wider variety of abnormalities not only in the chain itself, but also in the equipment to which the chain is attached, and in the surrounding area.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to sensors that are acceleration or angular velocity sensors fixed to the chain, the sprocket wheels that feed the chain are also provided with acceleration or angular velocity sensors. By providing a sensor for each of the continuously moving chain and the sprocket wheel that rotates but does not change its absolute position, the accuracy of abnormality detection that specifies the location of abnormality is improved.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the detection of abnormality and the output of the location where the abnormality has occurred are realized by outputting light from a display panel, a lamp, or the like. Anomalies are visually notified.

In the case of the anomaly detection system of the present disclosure, based on a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor fixed to a chain that continues to move inside the equipment, the location of an anomaly not only for the chain itself but also for the entire equipment that uses it It is possible to identify and detect the (factor).

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an anomaly detection system of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the sensor unit in FIG. 1; 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of contents of an operation panel; FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure for detecting an abnormality of a conveying device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of contents of sensor output determined to be an abnormality detection; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of contents of sensor output determined to be an abnormality detection; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of an abnormality detection and output processing procedure in Embodiment 2. FIG. 4 shows an example of an anomaly detection screen displayed on the display unit. 4 shows an example of an anomaly detection screen displayed on the display unit. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system according to Embodiment 3; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of an abnormality detection processing procedure in a communication device; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an anomaly detection system according to a fourth embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of an abnormality detection processing procedure in Embodiment 4. FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of contents of sensor output determined to be an abnormality detection; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an anomaly detection system according to Embodiment 5; FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system according to Embodiment 5; FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of an abnormality detection processing procedure according to Embodiment 5. FIG. 4 shows an example of an anomaly detection screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system according to Embodiment 6; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a conveyor chain in Embodiment 6; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a conveyor chain in Embodiment 6;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing its embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an anomaly detection system 100 of the present disclosure. The anomaly detection system 100 according to Embodiment 1 detects an anomaly in the production line L1 of a factory. A manufacturing line L1 in a factory is a transport device that transports a work W (for example, an automobile). The conveying device includes a conveyor chain C1 to which a belt is attached and a sprocket wheel C2 that feeds the conveyor chain C1. The length of the conveying device ranges, for example, from one hundred meters to several hundred meters. The anomaly detection system 100 includes a sensor unit 1 attached to the outer link plate of the conveyor chain C1 and a center console 2 that controls the operation of the conveying device. In the abnormality detection system 100, the output from the sensor unit 1 attached to the conveyor chain C1 is received at the center console 2, and abnormality is detected not only in the conveyor chain C1 but also in the sprocket wheel C2 or other parts of the conveying device. .

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of sensor unit 1 in FIG. The housing 10 of the sensor unit 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is fixed on the outer surface to specific outer link plates of the conveyor chain C1. It is preferable that the housing 10 has a size that can be accommodated between the pins of the link plate as shown in FIG. Various methods of fixing to the plate are adopted depending on the object of abnormality detection and the standard of the conveyor chain C1. For example, it may be attached to the link plate by a magnet fixed to the housing 10, or may be adhered with an adhesive. Or you may fix with a bolt and a nut with respect to a link plate. It may be configured to be attached by a pin or using an attachment. As much as possible, it is desirable to have a structure that allows easy attachment and does not come off due to the movement of the conveyor chain C1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the anomaly detection system 100. As shown in FIG. The sensor unit 1 includes an acceleration sensor 11 , a wireless communication section 12 and a control circuit 13 inside the housing 10 . The acceleration sensor 11 uses, for example, an orthogonal three-axis sensor. The acceleration sensors 11 are installed so as to correspond to three orthogonal sides of the rectangular parallelepiped housing 10 .

The wireless communication unit 12 uses a wireless communication device such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (registered trademark) to modulate the signal given from the control circuit 13 and transmit it as a wireless signal. Further, the wireless communication unit 12 may be a device that enables wireless data communication that enables the sensor unit 1 to communicate with other devices such as a center console while moving, and that uses infrared communication. good too.

The control circuit 13 includes a power supply section and a microcomputer. The power supply unit uses a battery as a power source to supply power not only to the microcomputer but also to each component of the sensor unit 1 . The microcomputer of the control circuit 13 is connected to the acceleration sensor 11 and the wireless communication section 12 by signal lines. The microcomputer inputs the output from the acceleration sensor 11 , samples the signal level of the output at a predetermined cycle, and periodically transmits the read signal level as data from the radio communication section 12 to the center console 2 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor unit 1 configured in this way is fixed on one of the three sides of the housing 10 on a plate of a specific link along the length of the chain. Thus, the acceleration sensor 11 is installed such that two of its three axes are oriented in the feed direction of the conveyor chain C1 and in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis at the folded portion of the conveyor chain C1.

The center console 2 uses a server computer and includes a control section 20 , a storage section 21 , a communication section 22 , a display section 23 and an operation section 24 . As described above, the center console 2 is connected to a drive control unit (not shown) for the transport device, and controls the transport device. Note that the center console 2 is not limited to a server computer, and may be a device using a microcomputer.

The control unit 20 has a CPU, a built-in ROM, and a RAM, and controls each component. The control unit 20 is connected to the drive control unit described above, and sends a signal instructing the operation to the drive control unit, and controls the feed position (number of pulses) of the conveyor chain C1 based on the signal from the drive control unit. can be specified.

The storage unit 21 uses a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 21 stores an abnormality detection program 2P. The storage unit 21 also stores information (abnormality feature amount) for executing abnormality detection. Other information referred to by the control unit 20 is stored. The control unit 20 reads information stored in the storage unit 21 and stores the generated information in the storage unit 21 .

The communication unit 22 uses a wireless communication module conforming to a wireless communication standard compatible with the sensor unit 1, or receives a signal from an external wireless receiver. The communication unit 22 receives the signal transmitted from the sensor unit 1 wirelessly or via a wireless receiver 221 as shown in FIG.

The display unit 23 uses a liquid crystal panel to display the control interface of the conveying device based on the control signal from the control unit 20 . The display unit 23 also includes lamps on the operation panel including buttons and lamps. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of contents of the operation panel. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation panel includes a lamp 231 that indicates the operating state of each part divided into a plurality of parts of the conveying apparatus extending several hundred meters. When this lamp 231 is lit in blue, it indicates that the operating state of the part is normal, and when it is lit in red, it indicates that the operating state of the part is abnormal or expected to be abnormal. The operation unit 24 uses buttons on an operation panel, a touch panel built into the display unit 23, or the like. The operation unit 24 notifies the control unit 20 of the content of the operation, and the control unit 20 can detect this.

In the center console 2 configured as described above, the control unit 20 functions as a detection unit that detects an abnormality according to the following processing procedure based on the abnormality detection program 2P. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for detecting an abnormality of a conveying device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The control unit 20 receives the output from the triaxial sensor of the acceleration sensor 11 from the sensor unit 1 (step S101), and stores the output of each axis in chronological order in the built-in memory (step S102). It is preferable to cyclically overwrite the stored data in the built-in memory. The control unit 20 refers to the feature amount for detecting an abnormality stored in the storage unit 21 for the output of each axis in the predetermined period stored in step S102, and determines whether the output is abnormal or is predicted to be abnormal. (step S103). The determination in step S103 is triggered by a predetermined change in the output of each axis (when the acceleration changes linearly from constant, or when it changes periodically and in a pulsed manner). You may do so.

If it is determined that the output is abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S103: YES), the controller 20 detects the abnormality and identifies the location of the abnormality (step S104). In step S104, the control unit 20 identifies the location of the abnormality as the entire conveyor chain C1. The other control unit 20 identifies the position of the sensor unit 1 at the timing corresponding to the output determined to be abnormal as the location where the abnormality occurs. In Embodiment 1, the control unit 20 controls the position of the specific link on which the sensor unit 1 is provided within the conveyor chain C1 (stored in advance in the storage unit 21) and the sprocket wheel It can be specified based on the feeding position of C2. For example, as will be described later, when it can be determined from the analysis of the output from the acceleration sensor 11 that a jam has occurred, it is possible to identify the location of the abnormality from the position of the sensor unit 1 . In addition, when it is detected that misalignment has occurred, the control unit 20 may specify the entirety of the plurality of sprocket wheels C2 related to this as the abnormality detection point.

The control unit 20 lights the lamp corresponding to the location of the abnormality identified in step S104 in red (outputs light) (step S105), and terminates the process. In this case, the control unit 20 preferably returns the process to step S101 and continuously repeats the process. If abnormal elongation of the entire chain as part of the transport system is detected, a lamp corresponding to the chain may be used and illuminated. Further, in step S105, the abnormality detection may be output to the liquid crystal panel of the display unit 23 as text or an image, or may be output as a log to the storage unit 21 instead of the display unit 23. FIG.

If it is determined in step S103 that the control unit 20 does not have an abnormality or an output for which an abnormality is predicted (S103: NO), the control unit 20 returns the process to step S101, receives the output, stores each output, and stores the stored output. continue the anomaly detection process based on

An example of abnormality detection in step S103 will be described. By using the acceleration sensor 11 of the sensor unit 1, it is possible to detect an abnormality or predict an abnormality in the pitch elongation of the conveyor chain C1, for example. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of contents of sensor outputs determined to be abnormal detection. 6A and 6B are graphs that plot the sensor output of the acceleration sensor 11 along the vertical axis over time. FIG. 6A is the normal waveform, and FIG. An example of a waveform at time is shown. As shown in FIG. 6A, at the timing when the link corresponding to the link plate to which the sensor unit 1 is attached is engaged with the sprocket wheel C2, vibration in the vertical direction (substantially vertically) is almost zero. At the timing when the link is sent between the sprocket wheels C2, the link vibrates vertically at a constant period as shown by the waveform in FIG. 6A, and the period (pulse interval) is constant. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, experiments have shown that when the conveyor chain C1 is stretched by 1%, for example, the vibration period at the timing of feeding between the sprocket wheels C2 is not constant. In this way, the occurrence of pitch elongation of the conveyor chain C1 can be detected from the pattern of the output from the acceleration sensor 11 corresponding to vertical vibration.

In other words, if frequency analysis of the output from the acceleration sensor 11 reveals vibration at a frequency other than the frequency corresponding to the pitch of the conveyor chain C1, and vibration at a different interval is obtained from the output, it is known that some kind of abnormality has occurred. In addition, the acceleration sensor 11 can detect, for example, abnormalities in the conveying device, such as a case where the conveyor chain C1 has caught a foreign object, a case where surging (also called stick-slip) has occurred, and an oil shortage. Also, by considering the vibration at the frequency corresponding to the rotation period of the sprocket wheels C2, it is possible to detect, for example, abnormalities in the teeth of each of the sprocket wheels C2 and the occurrence of misalignment between the sprocket wheels C2 as abnormalities. is. In this way, by fixing the sensor unit 1 including the acceleration sensor 11 to the conveyor chain C1 that continues to move in the equipment, it is possible to detect the occurrence of an abnormality not only in the conveyor chain C1 but also in the entire conveying equipment in which the conveyor chain C1 is used. It is possible to identify and detect the (factor).

It should be noted that the sensor unit 1 may use an angular velocity sensor instead of the acceleration sensor 11 to detect an abnormality from the period of vibration or the like. Alternatively, the sensor unit 1 may use a non-volatile storage medium instead of the wireless communication unit 12 to associate and store the output from the sensor that is the basis of the detected abnormality and the time information. good.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of anomaly detection system 200 according to the second embodiment. In Embodiment 2, the abnormality detection system 200 includes the sensor unit 3 attached to the link plate of the conveyor chain C1 and the communication device 4. In the abnormality detection system 200, the sensor unit 3 attached to the conveyor chain C1 detects an abnormality, and the communication device 4 receives and outputs the detected abnormality.

Therefore, the sensor unit 3 identifies its own position and further detects an abnormality by itself. The sensor unit 3 includes an acceleration sensor 31 , a wireless communication section 32 , a control circuit 33 , a storage section 34 and a position specifying section 35 inside the housing 30 . The housing 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is fixed to the plate of one specific link of the conveyor chain C1.

The acceleration sensor 31 and the wireless communication section 32 are the same as the acceleration sensor 11 and the wireless communication section 12 provided in the sensor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1, respectively, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The storage unit 34 uses a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or an SD card, and stores an abnormality detection program 3P and information (abnormal feature amount) for executing abnormality detection. In addition, information to be referred to during processing in the control circuit 33 and processing results are stored.

The position specifying unit 35 is a module that specifies its own position. For example, the position specifying unit 35 may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit capable of measuring the position in centimeter units with high accuracy. The position specifying unit 35 is a receiver for radio waves of a predetermined frequency band, and measures the strength of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of fixed stations (beacons) placed indoors such as a factory, or whether or not radio waves can be received. The own position (distance from the fixed station) may be specified based on. The reception strength of radio waves in wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used. Alternatively, the position specifying unit 35 is an RFID (Radio Frequency ID) reader, and is provided along the production line L1. You may make it specify.

As with the control circuit 13 of the first embodiment, the control circuit 33 includes a power supply section and a microcomputer, and is connected to the storage section 34 as an external storage device. The microcomputer of the control circuit 33 executes control processing based on the abnormality detection program 3P stored in the storage section 34 and functions as a detection section that detects abnormality. The microcomputer of the control circuit 33 is connected to the acceleration sensor 31, wireless communication section 32 and position specifying section 35 by signal lines. The microcomputer receives the output from the acceleration sensor 31, can sample the signal level of the output at a predetermined cycle, obtains the latest or predetermined timing from the position specifying unit 35, and further transmits the information to the wireless communication unit 32. Information to be transmitted is given and transmitted to the communication device 4 . The abnormality detection processing by the control circuit 33 is not only performed by software based on the abnormality detection program 3P, but also realized as a specific integrated circuit that inputs processing from each sensor and executes control processing including abnormality detection. may be

In Embodiment 2, the communication device 4 may be provided as a device different from the center console that controls the operation of the transport device. For example, the communication device 4 may be a PC (Personal Computer) used in the center console, or a tablet terminal that can be carried around by the operator. The communication device 4 includes a control section 40 , a storage section 41 , a communication section 42 , a display section 43 and an operation section 44 .

The control unit 40 includes a CPU, a built-in ROM, and a RAM, and controls each component. The storage unit 41 uses a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. A server-side program 4P corresponding to the abnormality detection program 3P of the sensor unit 3 is stored in the storage unit 41 . Further, the storage unit 41 stores in advance information indicating the position specified by the sensor unit 3 and information for specifying the positional relationship with the transport device of the production line L1. For example, it is information indicating the positional relationship between the GPS coordinates of the carrier line, the coordinates of each fixed station, or the identification information assigned to the RFID and the carrier device. Based on the server-side program 4P, the control unit 40 receives information transmitted from the sensor unit 3 and displays (outputs) an abnormality detection on the display unit 43 as described later.

The communication unit 42 uses a wireless communication module of a wireless communication standard compatible with the wireless communication unit 32 of the sensor unit 3 . The communication unit 42 receives the signal transmitted from the sensor unit 3 wirelessly or via a separately provided wireless receiver (see FIG. 3).

The display unit 43 uses, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays information based on the control from the control unit 40 . The operation unit 44 uses a mouse or keyboard, or a touch panel incorporated in the display unit 43 .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an abnormality detection and output processing procedure according to the second embodiment. In the sensor unit 3, the microcomputer of the control circuit 33 stores the output from the acceleration sensor 31 in chronological order in the built-in memory at each sampling period (step S201). It is preferable to cyclically overwrite the stored data in the built-in memory. The microcomputer determines whether or not the predetermined period has elapsed (step S202), and if it is determined that the predetermined period has not elapsed (S202: NO), returns the process to step S201 to continue sampling and storage. If it is determined that the predetermined period has passed (S202: YES), the microcomputer detects the abnormality stored in the storage unit 34 for the time-series output of each axis of the acceleration sensor 11 stored in the built-in memory. It is determined whether or not the output is abnormal or predicted to be abnormal by referring to the feature amount for detection (step S203).

When the microcomputer judges that the output is abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S203: YES), it detects the abnormality, and corresponds to the latest position from the position specifying unit 35 or the output judged to be abnormal. The position where the abnormality occurs is identified from the position at the timing (step S204). The microcomputer transmits the notification of the abnormality and the data indicating the location of the abnormality specified in step S204 from the wireless communication unit 32 to the communication device 4 (step S205), and returns the process to step S201. In step S205, the microcomputer preferably transmits information identifying the sensor unit 3 in association with it. This is for identifying when a plurality of sensor units 3 are present.

If it is determined in step S203 that the output is not abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S203: NO), the process returns to step S201. At this point, the output stored in the internal memory may be erased.

The communication device 4 receives the abnormality notification and the location of the abnormality transmitted from the sensor unit 3 by the communication unit 42 (step S301). When the identification information of the sensor unit 3 is associated and transmitted, the communication section 42 also receives this. Based on the server-side program 4P, the control unit 40 creates an anomaly notification screen from the received anomaly notification and the data of the location of the anomaly (step S302), outputs it to the display unit 43 (step S303), and ends the process. . The communication device 4 may output the content of the notified abnormality and the location of the abnormality to the storage unit 41 as a log.

Note that the method of abnormality detection in step S203 is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, the microcomputer can detect an abnormality by analyzing the pattern of the output from the acceleration sensor 11 or frequency analysis based on the abnormality detection program 3P.

9A and 9B show an example of an abnormality detection screen displayed on the display unit 43. FIG. FIG. 9A shows a display example when the position specifying unit 35 specifies a position based on radio waves from a GPS receiving unit or a fixed station, and FIG. 9B shows a display example when the position specifying unit 35 is an RFID reader. there is In FIG. 9A, a point P indicates an abnormal location in the layout of the conveying apparatus on the abnormality notification screen 430 displayed on the display unit 43 . In FIG. 9B, a similar abnormality notification screen 430 indicates by hatching an abnormality occurrence location in the layout of the conveying apparatus. If the hatched portion is output on the display section 43 in a predetermined color, blinking, or the like, it is easier for the operator to recognize.

In this manner, the process of detecting an abnormality and the process of identifying the location of an abnormality may be performed on the sensor unit 3 side. In this case, one or a plurality of identifiable sensor units 3 are attached to the conveyor chain C1, and the server-side program 4P is stored in a general-purpose computer, thereby making it possible to apply the abnormality detection system to the existing system. be. Also in the second embodiment, the sensor unit 3 does not include the wireless communication section 32, and stores the detected abnormality and the corresponding abnormality occurrence location in the storage section 34 so that the abnormality can be confirmed after the fact. good too.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of anomaly detection system 300 according to the third embodiment. In Embodiment 3, the abnormality detection system 300 includes the sensor unit 5 attached to the link plate of the link of the conveyor chain C1 and the communication device 6. FIG. In the abnormality detection system 300, the output of the sensor group is transmitted from the sensor unit 5 attached to the conveyor chain C1, and the communication device 6 receives this to detect abnormality.

The sensor unit 5 includes an acceleration sensor 51 , a wireless communication section 52 , a control circuit 53 , a position specifying section 55 , an angular velocity sensor 512 , a temperature sensor 513 , a strain gauge 514 , a camera 515 and a sound sensor 516 inside the housing 50 .

The acceleration sensor 51 and the wireless communication unit 52 are the same as the acceleration sensor 11 and the wireless communication unit 12 provided in the sensor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1, respectively, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The position specifying unit 55 is the same as the position specifying unit 35 in Embodiment 2, and specifies its own position by any one of various methods.

The angular velocity sensor 512 is fixed in the rectangular parallelepiped housing 50 and outputs a signal corresponding to the tilt.

The temperature sensor 513 is provided on the surface of the rectangular parallelepiped housing 50 that is attached to the link plate, and is preferably capable of measuring a temperature close to the surface temperature of the conveyor chain C1 (the surface temperature of the link). Two temperature sensors 513 may be used, one on the side close to the link plate and the other on the opposite side, so that the temperature difference between the surface temperature of the link and the ambient temperature can be measured.

The strain gauge 514 uses a piezoelectric element or the like to measure the tension applied to the link.

The camera 515 uses, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, is provided toward the outside of the housing 50, and outputs a captured video signal. The camera 515 may be provided on any of the five surfaces of the housing 50 other than the surface close to the link plate, for example, facing the direction of travel of the conveyor chain C1, facing backward, or facing backward. may be provided facing outward on the surface facing the proximal surface.

The sound sensor 516 includes, for example, a sound collecting device and a processing circuit that performs filtering processing for excluding a predetermined frequency band, voicing processing, and the like. The sound sensor 516 may output volume data for each of a plurality of frequency bands.

The control circuit 53 includes a power supply section and a microcomputer. The power supply unit uses a battery as a power source to supply power not only to the microcomputer but also to each component of the sensor unit 5 . The microcomputer of the control circuit 53 is connected to each sensor including the acceleration sensor 51, the wireless communication section 52, and the position specifying section 55 by signal lines. The microcomputer inputs the output from each sensor, samples the signal level of the output at a predetermined cycle, and periodically transmits the read signal level as data from the wireless communication unit 52 to the communication device 6 . Also, the microcomputer acquires the position from the position specifying section 55 at a predetermined cycle and transmits it from the wireless communication section 52 to the communication device 6 . At this time, the microcomputer preferably transmits the video signal output from the camera 515 to the communication device 6 at the same timing. The microcomputer may acquire time information from a built-in timer and transmit it together with information on the identified position or the video signal acquired from the camera 515 .

In Embodiment 3, the communication device 6 is provided as a device different from the center console that controls the operation of the conveying device. For example, the communication device 6 may be a PC used in the center console, or a tablet terminal that can be carried around by the operator. The communication device 6 includes a control section 60 , a storage section 61 , a communication section 62 , a display section 63 and an operation section 64 .

The control unit 60 includes a CPU, a built-in ROM, and a RAM, and controls each component. The storage unit 61 uses a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 61 stores an abnormality detection program 6P. The storage unit 61 stores information (abnormality feature amount) for executing abnormality detection. Further, the storage unit 61 stores in advance information indicating the position specified by the sensor unit 5 and information for specifying the positional relationship with the conveying device of the production line L1. For example, it is information indicating the positional relationship between the GPS coordinates of the carrier line, the coordinates of each fixed station, or the identification information assigned to the RFID and the carrier device. Based on the abnormality detection program 6P, the control unit 60 receives the output of each sensor transmitted from the sensor unit 5, and functions as a detection unit that analyzes the output to detect an abnormality. It exhibits the function of displaying (outputting) an abnormality detection to 63 .

The communication unit 62 uses a wireless communication module of a wireless communication standard corresponding to the wireless communication unit 52 of the sensor unit 5, or receives a signal from an external wireless receiver. The communication unit 62 receives the signal transmitted from the sensor unit 5 wirelessly or via a wireless receiver.

The display unit 63 uses a liquid crystal panel, for example, and displays information based on the control from the control unit 60 . The operation unit 64 uses a mouse or keyboard, or a touch panel incorporated in the display unit 63 .

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of an abnormality detection processing procedure in the communication device 6 . The sensor unit 5 regularly transmits the output from each sensor, the position of the sensor unit 5, and the video signal from the camera 515 from the wireless communication section 52 as described above. On the other hand, the control unit 60 of the communication device 6 repeatedly executes the processing procedure described below.

The control unit 60 receives the output from each sensor periodically transmitted from the sensor unit 5, the position of the sensor unit 5, and the video signal from the camera 515 (step S401). If the identification information of the sensor unit 5 is associated and transmitted, the communication unit 62 also receives it. The control unit 60 stores the output of each sensor in chronological order in the built-in memory (step S402). It should be noted that the storage in the memory should be overwritten cyclically. The control unit 60 refers to the feature amount for detecting abnormality stored in the storage unit 61 for the output of each sensor and the video signal in the predetermined period stored in step S402, and predicts the abnormality or abnormality. It is determined whether it is an output or a video signal to be output (step S403). The determination in step S403 may be triggered by a predetermined change in the output of each sensor.

If it is determined that the output or video signal is abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S403: YES), the controller 60 detects the abnormality and identifies the location of the abnormality (step S404). In step S404, if the detected abnormality is not the overall abnormality such as the elongation of the entire conveyor chain C1, the control unit 60 determines the position of the sensor unit 5 corresponding to the time information corresponding to the output or video signal determined to be abnormal. , it is possible to identify the location where the abnormality occurs. Regarding the position of the sensor unit 5 , the control unit 60 extracts the corresponding position from position information periodically acquired from the sensor unit 5 , for example. Corresponding information may be extracted from output or video signals whose transmission timings substantially match and position information, or output from each sensor, video signals, and position information may be associated with time information and transmitted. If it is, it is sufficient to extract the information of the position of the time that matches the output judged to be abnormal based on the time information.

The control unit 60 creates an abnormality notification screen indicating the location of the abnormality identified in step S404 (step S405), outputs it to the display unit 63 (step S406), and ends the process. It is desirable that the contents of the detected abnormality, such as pitch elongation, misalignment, etc., be discriminated and displayed on the abnormality notification screen created in step S405. Note that before and after step S405 or step S406, the control unit 60 separately stores the video signal for a predetermined time including either before or after the timing at which the abnormality is detected, or either of them, in the storage unit 61 to identify the detected abnormality. A process of storing the information together with the information to be stored may be performed. As a result, there is a possibility that the cause of the abnormality can be easily recognized from the video signal.

If it is determined that there is no output or video signal that is expected to be abnormal or abnormal (S403: NO), the control unit 60 returns the process to step S401, outputs from each sensor, video signals from the camera, and the sensor unit 5 continue the process of receiving and storing information on the position of and detecting anomalies.

Abnormality detection in step S403 in the third embodiment will be described. The output from the acceleration sensor 51 is the same as in the first and second embodiments. As with the output from the acceleration sensor 51, the control unit 60 can determine whether or not the conveyor chain C1 is moving awkwardly, such as surging, based on the periodicity of the output from the angular velocity sensor 512. is. The control unit 60 performs frequency analysis on the output from the acceleration sensor 51 and the output from the angular velocity sensor 512 to determine whether the count of a specific frequency is abnormally large compared to the feature values stored in the storage unit 61. , or less, or whether the frequencies with the highest number of counts match each other.

Regarding the temperature sensor 513, the control unit 60 compares the threshold of the normal temperature range stored in the storage unit 61 with the temperature obtained from the temperature sensor 513, and the temperature obtained from the temperature sensor 513 is out of the normal range. It can be determined that an anomaly or an anomaly is expected in some cases. For example, when the supply of oil to the conveyor chain C1 is insufficient, the surface temperature of the conveyor chain C1 may rise excessively. In the case where the sensor unit 5 is provided with a plurality of temperature sensors 513, or the case where the communication device 6 can acquire the temperature inside the factory, the environmental temperature inside the factory and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 513 are If the difference is greater than or equal to the temperature difference, the control unit 60 can also determine that there is an abnormality or an abnormality is predicted.

Regarding the strain gauge 514 , the control unit 60 can determine that an abnormality or an abnormality is predicted when the tension applied to the link measured by the strain gauge 514 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value stored in the storage unit 61 . For example, in a case where the conveyor chain C1 is moving awkwardly such as surging, each link pulls against each other and a stronger tension is applied than when the conveyor chain C1 is normally fed. It is possible to detect this in the output from strain gauge 514 . Note that the control unit 60 refers to the output from the acceleration sensor 51 and the output from the angular velocity sensor 512, and also the output from the strain gauge 514, and judges whether or not the movement is generally awkward to detect an abnormality. Then, anomalies can be detected with higher accuracy.

For the camera 515, the control unit 60 analyzes the video (image) based on the video signal obtained from the camera 515, compares it with the normal video (image) stored as a feature amount in advance in the storage unit 61, and compares it with the conveyor. It may be possible to determine whether or not foreign matter is present around the chain C1. Note that the video signal from the camera 515 may be used for recording when an abnormality is detected as described above.

Regarding the sound sensor 516, the control unit 60 performs frequency analysis of the sound collected by the sound sensor 516, and compares the frequency distribution of the sound in the normal state stored as the feature amount in the storage unit 61 to detect abnormal noise. You may make it judge whether it is carrying out. Further, it may be possible to identify by analysis whether or not a sound of a specific frequency is generated periodically, and to detect misalignment, jamming, etc. of the teeth of the sprocket wheel C2 as abnormalities.

In this way, by attaching the sensor unit 5 including various sensors to the conveyor chain C1 that continues to move inside the equipment, it is possible to detect an abnormality while discriminating the location (cause) of the occurrence of the abnormality, thereby enabling detection of an abnormality in an intricate place that cannot be confirmed by an operator or the like. It is also possible to leave a video signal obtained by imaging the .

The control unit 60 checks whether the outputs from the acceleration sensor 51, the angular velocity sensor 512, the temperature sensor 513, and the strain gauge 514 are consistent with the state estimated from the feature values stored in the storage unit 61. Abnormalities may be detected based on whether or not. The angular velocity sensor 512, the temperature sensor 513, the strain gauge 514, the camera 515, and the sound sensor 516 shown in Embodiment 3 may be selected according to the target of abnormality detection.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the abnormality detection system 300 according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the abnormality detection system 300 according to the fourth embodiment. The abnormality detection system 300 according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the third embodiment, except that a plurality of sensor units are used and the details of the abnormality detection processing by the control unit 60 of the communication device 6 are different accordingly. be. The same reference numerals are assigned to common configurations, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In Embodiment 4, as shown in FIG. 12, a sensor unit 5 including sensors other than the acceleration sensor 51 is attached to the conveyor chain C1. A sensor unit 1 including only the acceleration sensor 11, the wireless communication section 12, and the control circuit 13 shown in Embodiment 1 is attached to the sprocket wheel C2. The sensor unit 1 is mounted in a non-rotating position such that one of the three axes of the acceleration sensor 11 extends along the up-down direction (vertical direction). This is because the acceleration sensor 11 measures the vertical vibration of the sprocket wheel C2. The sensor unit 1 may be attached only to a specific sprocket wheel C2 as shown in FIG. 12, but may be attached to any plurality or all of the sprocket wheels C2.

In the fourth embodiment, the communication device 6 receives the output of each sensor, the position, and the video signal from each of the sensor units 1 and 5, compares the outputs of both, distinguishes where an abnormality has occurred, and detects an abnormality. detect. The sensor unit 1 and the sensor unit 5 transmit sensor output together with time information to the communication device 6 from the wireless communication section 112 and the wireless communication section 52, respectively. At this time, the control circuit 13 of the sensor unit 1 and the control circuit 53 of the sensor unit 5 both transmit identification information for identifying themselves. In the communication device 6, the identification information of the sensor unit 1 and the identification information of the sensor unit 5 are stored in advance in the storage unit 61, and whether the sender of the received information is the sensor unit 1 or the sensor unit 5 is determined. Keep it identifiable. Further, in the fourth embodiment, since the sensor unit 1 does not transmit its own position, the communication device 6 stores information specifying the position of the sprocket wheel C2 to which the sensor unit 1 is attached.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an abnormality detection processing procedure according to the fourth embodiment. Among the processing procedures shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14, the procedures that are common to the procedures shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 of Embodiment 3 are given the same step numbers, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The control unit 60 receives the output, position, and video signal from the sensor unit 5 together with the identification information of the sensor unit 5 (S401), and receives the output from the sensor unit 1 together with the identification information of the sensor unit 1 (step S411). . The control unit 60 stores the output, position, and video signal received from the sensor unit 5 and the output received from the sensor unit 1 in chronological order in the built-in memory (S402).

The control unit 60 determines whether or not the output and video signal received from each of the sensor units 1 and 5 stored in step S402 are abnormal or predicted to be abnormal (S403). .

If it is determined that the output or video signal is abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S403: YES), the controller 60 detects the abnormality and identifies the location of the abnormality (step S414). The detection of abnormality and the identification of the location of abnormality in steps S403 and S414 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The control unit 60 creates an abnormality notification screen showing the location of the abnormality identified in step S414 and details of the abnormality detected in step S403 (S405), outputs it to the display unit 63 (S406), and ends the process. . Also in this case, the image signal picked up by the sensor unit 5 attached to the conveyor chain C1 may be recorded.

An example of abnormality detection in the fourth embodiment will be described. In Embodiment 4, the acceleration sensor 11 of the sensor unit 1 attached to the sprocket wheel C2 is used together with the sensor unit 5 attached to the conveyor chain C1. This makes it possible to detect an abnormality in the conveyor chain C1 and an abnormality in the sprocket wheel C2, that is, by distinguishing between the locations where the abnormality occurs. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of contents of a sensor output determined to be an abnormality detection. FIG. 15A is a graph that plots the sensor output of the acceleration sensor 51 of the sensor unit 5 along the axis along the vertical direction over time, and FIG. 15B shows the sensor output of the acceleration sensor 11 of the sensor unit 1. It is a graph connecting the plotted items. Note that the waveforms in FIGS. 15A and 15B are waveforms obtained for the same event, and the passage of time on the horizontal axis corresponds to each other.

In the waveform of FIG. 15A, vibrations in a fine period overlap with vibrations in a larger period. When operating normally, as described in the first embodiment, the link oscillates vertically at a constant period at the timing of transmission between the sprocket wheels C2, and the period (pulse interval) is constant. be. In the waveform of FIG. 15A, a large vibration appears with a larger period. If this period corresponds to the distance between a plurality of sprocket wheels C2, there is a possibility that an abnormality such as jamming has occurred between the links of the conveyor chain C1 and the sprocket wheels C2. Moreover, since a large vibration occurs each time the link engages with the sprocket wheel C2, the foreign object exists not between the specific sprocket wheel C2, but on the conveyor chain C1 side, and any sprocket wheel C2 has a foreign object. It is presumed that vibrations are also caused. First, the control unit 60 can detect an abnormality in this way. However, with only the waveform of FIG. 15A, it is difficult to specify the location where the foreign matter exists because the vibration is constant throughout the conveyor chain C1.

On the other hand, the output from the acceleration sensor 11 of the sensor unit 1 attached to the sprocket wheel C2 in FIG. Vibration is expressed. In this case, the occurrence of an abnormality can be detected from the output from the acceleration sensor 11 of the sensor unit 1 . However, from the waveform in FIG. 15B , the control unit 60 only determines that the sprocket wheel C2 to which the sensor unit 1 is attached is not abnormal because a large vibration does not always occur. can only recognize. It is difficult to distinguish whether abnormality has occurred on the conveyor chain C1 side or abnormality has occurred on the other sprocket wheel C2. In other words, it is difficult to identify the location of the abnormality only from the waveform of FIG. 15B.

However, by judging the waveforms of FIG. 15A and the waveforms of FIG. 15B together, the control unit 60 causes a large vibration each time a foreign object present on the conveyor chain C1 is bitten into each of the sprocket wheels C2. can recognize that Then, the control unit 60 recognizes that a large vibration is observed on the sensor unit 1 side when the foreign matter is bitten by the sprocket wheel C2 to which the sensor unit 1 is attached. As a result, the control unit 60 can identify the location where the abnormality occurs when the link passing through the sprocket wheel C2 to which the sensor unit 1 is attached is the location where the abnormality occurs.

In addition to this, the control unit 60 can specify both the detected abnormal event and the location of occurrence of the abnormality by combining waveform patterns. For example, if the output from the acceleration sensor 51 of the sensor unit 5 also produces an event-like vibration as shown in FIG. 15B, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred on the sprocket wheel C2 side. In this case, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the sprocket wheel C2 at the position where the sensor unit 5 passed when the vibration occurred. However, in this case, the sensor unit 1 is attached to each of the two sprocket wheels C2 separated by the transport device, and the magnitude of the amplitude of the event-generated vibration as shown in FIG. By distinguishing whether a large vibration is occurring at , there is a high possibility that the location of the occurrence of the abnormality can be specified with high accuracy.

In this way, the sensor unit 1 or the sensor unit 5 is attached not only to the conveyor chain C1 that continues to move within the transport device, but also to other components that do not move within the transport device, and the outputs from these are combined. and parse it. As a result, it is possible to accurately identify where the event measured by each sensor occurred.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the anomaly detection system 500 according to the fifth embodiment. An abnormality detection system 500 according to Embodiment 5 targets a plurality of manufacturing lines L1 and manufacturing apparatuses M1, . . . The production line L1 is a conveying device including the conveyor chain C1 and the sprocket wheel C2 shown in the first embodiment. Manufacturing facility M1 likewise includes chain C3. Anomaly detection system 500 includes sensor unit 5a attached to conveyor chain C1, sensor unit 1 attached to sprocket wheel C2, and sensor unit 5b attached to chain C3. The anomaly detection system 500 further includes a communication device 7 that collects information from each sensor unit 1, 5a, 5a, a server device 8, and a terminal device 9.

The communication device 7 is a so-called IoT (Internet Of Things) server, is connected to the public communication network N via the factory LAN, and can communicate with the server device 8 . The terminal device 9 is a PC used by the operator of the factory F, and can be similarly connected to the intra-factory LAN. The server device 8 is a server computer operated by the maintenance service provider CM of the conveyor chains C1 and C3, and can be connected to a predetermined communication device via the public communication network N for communication. In the anomaly detection system 500, the server device 8 receives information transmitted from the sensor units 1, 5a, and 5b via the communication device 7, analyzes it, detects an anomaly, and outputs the detected anomaly to the terminal device 9. do. The public communication network N is the so-called Internet, and serves as a communication medium between communication devices connected via appropriate network devices or access point APs.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an anomaly detection system 500 according to the fifth embodiment. Since the sensor unit 1 is the same as that shown in Embodiment 1, the same reference numerals are attached and detailed description thereof is omitted. The sensor units 5a and 5b are only denoted by letters a and b, respectively, for identification purposes, and the structure is the same as the sensor unit 5 shown in the third embodiment, so a detailed description will be given. omitted. In the fifth embodiment, the wireless communication units 12 and 52 of the sensor units 1, 5a and 5b associate the output of the sensor with the identification information of the sensor units 1, 5a and 5b by Bluetooth (registered trademark), especially BLE. to the communication device 7.

The communication device 7 uses a device called an IoT gateway as described above. The communication apparatus 7 comprises multiple communication devices 701 . The communication device 7 comprises a processor 700 and memory 702 . The processor 700 performs processing related to transmission/reception of outputs and the like transmitted from the sensor units 1, 5a, and 5b based on a pre-stored program using a CPU, a clock, and the like. The plurality of communication devices 701 may include a device for communication with the sensor units 1, 5a, and 5b, a device for Ethernet (registered trademark) of the factory LAN, and a device for wireless LAN.

The memory 702 of the communication device 7 uses a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores information that the processor 700 refers to. The memory 702 also stores identifiers for identifying the communication devices 7 themselves and identification information for identifying the factory F in which the communication devices 7 are installed from other factories, which are referred to by the processor 700 .

In the communication device 7 configured in this way, when an output or the like is transmitted together with identification information from each of the sensor units 1, 5a, and 5b, the corresponding communication device 701 receives this. Each time the communication device 7 receives these, it associates them with an identifier for identifying itself from other communication devices 7 or identification information for identifying the factory F, and transmits them to the server device 8 over the public communication network N. .

The server device 8 uses a server computer and includes a control section 80 , a storage section 81 and a communication section 82 . In the fifth embodiment, the server device 8 is explained as one server computer, but it may be distributed among a plurality of server computers. For example, it may be implemented by a server computer that performs processing for each area of the factory F, a server computer that detects anomalies, and a server computer that executes learning, which will be described later.

The control unit 80 includes a CPU, built-in ROM, and RAM, and controls each component. The storage unit 81 uses a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 81 stores an anomaly detection program 8P and a database DB that stores outputs from each sensor. Note that the database DB may be constructed in an external storage device different from the server device 8 . The storage unit 81 also stores factory position information and the like in association with the information identifying each factory. For example, the identification information assigned to the factory and each production line L1 in the factory, the GPS coordinates of the manufacturing apparatus M1, the coordinates of the fixed station related to the position specification, or the RFID related to the position specification, and the This is information indicating the layout. The storage unit 81 stores identification information of equipment such as the production line L1 and the manufacturing apparatus M1 arranged in the factory F according to the layout, and stores position information of each. The storage unit 81 stores a server program corresponding to the terminal device 9 and notifies the terminal program of the terminal device 9 of an abnormality. Note that the server program may be a Web server program. The control unit 80 receives information transmitted from each sensor unit 1, 5a, 5b based on the abnormality detection program 8P, functions as a detection unit for detecting abnormality, and furthermore, detects abnormality to the terminal device 9 of the factory F. The function to notify (output) is demonstrated.

The communication unit 82 implements communication via the public communication network N using, for example, a network card. You may make it communicate by radio|wireless communication.

The terminal device 9 is, for example, a tablet terminal, and includes a control section 90 , a storage section 91 , a communication section 92 , a display section 93 and an operation section 94 . The terminal device 9 may be a desktop or laptop PC.

The control unit 90 includes a CPU, built-in ROM, and RAM, and controls each component. The storage unit 91 uses a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. A terminal program for the server device 8 is stored in the storage unit 91 . The terminal program is, for example, a web browser program.

The display unit 93 uses a liquid crystal panel, for example, and displays information based on the control from the control unit 90 . The operation unit 94 uses a mouse or keyboard, or a touch panel built into the display unit 93 .

In the abnormality detection system 500 configured as described above, the server device 8 that receives information from each of the sensor units 1, 5a, and 5b via the communication device 7 installed in the factory F detects and detects an abnormality. The terminal device 9 used by the operator of the factory F is notified of the abnormality. With the configuration of detecting anomalies in the external server device 8, in addition to analyzing each device that uses the chain, sensor output information received at a plurality of factories including factory F is analyzed and diversified Accurately detect abnormalities through learning.

18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an abnormality detection processing procedure according to Embodiment 5. FIG. In the server device 8, the control unit 80 receives the output, position, time information, and video signal from each sensor periodically transmitted via the communication device 7 from each of the sensor unit 1, the sensor unit 5a, and the sensor unit 5b. (step S501). In step S501, the control unit 80 receives the identifier of the communication device 7 or the identification information for identifying the factory F transmitted from the communication device 7, and the identification information of the sensor units 1, 5a, and 5b for identifying the sensor transmission source. is associated with and received.

The control unit 80 stores the received output and the like in the database DB of the storage unit 81 (step S502). When the control unit 80 has received the information of each output, position, and video signal together with the time information, the control unit 80 stores the information as it is in association with each identification information for each factory and for each device. If the time information cannot be received together, the control unit 80 associates the pieces of information with the identification information in the order of reception and stores them in chronological order. The storage in the storage unit 81 in step S502 may be stored as it is to be used for learning in steps described later, and may be converted into big data.

The control unit 80 newly stores information for a predetermined period of time from the time when the previous abnormality was judged for each output stored corresponding to each identification information for each factory and further for each device. (step S503). When it is determined that the information for the predetermined time has been stored (S503: YES), the control unit 80 detects an abnormality stored in the storage unit 81 in the newly stored information such as the output. It is determined whether or not the output or the like is abnormal or predicted to be abnormal by referring to the feature amount for the output (step S504). The determination in step S504 may be triggered by a predetermined change in the output of each sensor.

If it is determined that the output is abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S504: YES), the control unit 80 detects the abnormality and identifies the location of the abnormality (step S505). In step S505, it is preferable to use the positions of the sensor units 1, 5a, 5b corresponding to the timing of the output determined to be abnormal.

The control unit 80 creates an anomaly notification screen indicating the location of the anomaly identified in step S505 (step S506), and transmits the created anomaly notification screen information to the terminal device 9 from the communication unit 82 (step S507). . It is preferable that the abnormality notification screen in step S506 includes the content of the abnormality. In step S507, the control unit 80 may notify the person in charge of the factory F whose abnormality is to be detected by e-mail, message, or the like.

The control unit 80 stores the content of the detected abnormality and the log of the occurrence location of the abnormality in the database DB of the storage unit 81 (step S508), and ends the process. After that, the control unit 80 repeatedly executes the processes from steps S501 to S508.

In step S503, when the control unit 80 determines that information for a predetermined period of time has not been stored for each factory and device since the previous determination in step S504 (S503: NO), the process proceeds to step S501. Return to continue receiving and storing.

If it is determined in step S504 that the output is not abnormal or expected to be abnormal (S504: NO), the control unit 80 returns the process to step S501 to continue receiving and storing the output from each sensor.

FIG. 19 shows an example of an abnormality detection screen displayed on the display unit 93 of the terminal device 9 . In the screen example of FIG. 19, an image showing the arrangement relationship between the manufacturing line L1 ("line 1") of the factory F and the manufacturing apparatus M1 ("apparatus A") is displayed in the abnormality detection screen 930, and an abnormality is detected. The location of the detected abnormality is indicated by the point P. Since the location of the occurrence of the abnormality is identified and indicated on the layout of the equipment subject to abnormality detection, the notified operator identifies the location that should be suspected as the occurrence location. A similar abnormality detection screen 930 can also be realized by using the operation panel to turn on the lamp corresponding to each part, or by outputting voice or log. It is also possible to realize by

Learning using big data such as the output of each sensor is preferably performed as follows. The anomaly notification screen transmitted to the terminal device 9 preferably identifies and displays the content of the detected anomaly, and preferably includes options and a transmission interface for feeding back the actual content of the anomaly. The operator of Factory F, who received the abnormality notification, confirmed whether or not there was an abnormality by relying on the location of the abnormality specified on the abnormality notification screen, and was able to confirm the actual abnormality or an event that was predicted to be abnormal at the site. In this case, select the appropriate one from the options for the contents of the abnormality on the abnormality notification screen, and select the transmission interface. As a result, the content of the confirmed abnormality is transmitted to the server device 8 . Since the server device 8 stores the output from each sensor, the video signal, etc. that led to the detection of an abnormality, this information is associated with the actual event (transmitted option) and the learning is repeated. . As much as possible, learning should be performed for each factory and each device. This is because even devices using the same conveyor chain C1 may experience different occurrences of abnormalities depending on the conditions of use. In this way, it is expected that the accuracy of anomaly detection will be improved by learning anomaly detection at actual operation sites, which cannot be learned at the test stage by the CM of the chain provider, using information from each site. .

In this way, by attaching a sensor unit containing a large number of sensors including an acceleration sensor to a chain such as the conveyor chain C1 that continues to move inside the equipment, it is possible to detect an abnormality while determining the location (cause) of the abnormality. is.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the anomaly detection system 100 according to the sixth embodiment. The abnormality detection system 100 of Embodiment 6 includes a sensor unit 7 embedded in a specific link of the conveyor chain C4 and a center console 2 that controls the operation of the conveying device. The configuration of the abnormality detection system 100 of Embodiment 6 is the same as that of the abnormality detection system 100 of Embodiment 1, except for the configuration of the sensor unit 7 itself and the type of chain to which the sensor unit 7 is fixed. Therefore, common configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

The sensor unit 7 includes an acceleration sensor 71 , a wireless communication section 72 and a control circuit 73 like the sensor unit 1 . The sensor unit 7 does not have a housing and is embedded in the link. 21 and 22 are diagrams showing a conveyor chain C4 according to Embodiment 6. FIG. 21 is a front view, and FIG. 22 is a plan view. The conveyor chain C4 is formed by endlessly connecting synthetic resin rectangular links with connecting pins. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, in Embodiment 6, the sensor unit 7 is embedded in a specific link of the conveyor chain C4.

The acceleration sensor 71 of the sensor unit 7 uses an orthogonal three-axis sensor. The acceleration sensor 71 is fixed so as to correspond to three directions of the thickness direction of the links of the conveyor chain C4, the traveling direction of the chain, and the width direction of the chain.

Since the wireless communication section 72 and the control circuit 73 are the same as the components of the sensor unit 1 of Embodiment 1, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Thus, there are various methods for fixing the sensor unit to the chain depending on the type of chain. It may be fixed to the chain plate as in the first embodiment, or embedded in the link as in the sixth embodiment. Even in a conveying facility using a resin conveyor chain C4, an abnormality can be detected by receiving information from the conveyor chain C4 at the center console 2. FIG.

In each of Embodiments 1 to 6, the target of abnormality detection is the manufacturing line L1 of the factory. However, the target of abnormality detection is of course not limited to this. Abnormality detection using the conveyor chains C1 to C4, which are constantly progressing, as shown in Embodiments 1 to 6, basically cannot be stopped, and the chain is progressing, but inspection work is usually performed. It is useful for devices and equipment that have parts that cannot be entered by humans. The conveying equipment is not limited to the conveying equipment of the manufacturing line L1 as described above, but may be an escalator, an elevator, a crane equipment, or the like. Moreover, it may be applied to a work vehicle or the like in which the device itself moves.

It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed as described above are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the meaning described above, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

C1, C3 conveyor chain C2 sprocket wheel 1, 3, 5 sensor unit 11, 31, 51 acceleration sensor 12, 32, 52 wireless communication unit 13, 33, 53 control circuit (detection unit, processing unit)
34 storage unit 35, 55 position specifying unit 512 angular velocity sensor 513 temperature sensor 514 strain gauge 515 camera 516 sound sensor 2 center console 4, 6 communication device 8 server device 20, 40, 60, 80 control unit (detection unit)
21, 41, 61, 81 storage unit 22, 42, 62, 82 communication unit 23, 43, 63, 83 display unit (abnormal output unit)
24, 44, 64, 84 operation section 2P, 6P, 8P abnormality detection program 9 terminal device 93 display section (abnormality output section)

Claims (14)

A sensor unit that is fixed to the chain attached to the equipment that includes the chain and includes a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, and a wireless communication unit that transmits the output from the sensor by wireless communication;
a communication device that receives an output transmitted from the sensor unit ;
The communication device
a receiving unit that receives data including the output transmitted from the sensor unit;
a detection unit that detects an abnormality in the chain or the device based on the output from the sensor;
an abnormality detection system, comprising: an identification unit that identifies a location in a device including the chain where the abnormality detected by the detection unit occurs, based on the position of the fixed location of the sensor in the device at each point in time. The sensor unit is
A position information acquisition unit that acquires information for specifying the position of the sensor,
The anomaly detection system according to claim 1, wherein the output from the sensor and the information acquired by the position information acquisition section are transmitted from a wireless communication section. The anomaly detection system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an anomaly output unit that associates and outputs the anomaly detected by the detection unit and the location of occurrence identified by the identification unit. 4. The abnormality detection according to claim 3, wherein the abnormality output unit includes a display unit, and the display unit displays an image indicating the abnormality detected by the detection unit and the location of the abnormality identified by the identification unit. system. An additional sensor unit that is fixed to a non-moving part in the device and has a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor and a wireless communication unit that transmits the output from the sensor by wireless communication,
the communication device receives output transmitted from the additional sensor unit in addition to output transmitted from the sensor unit;
5. Any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit of the communication device compares outputs received from the sensor unit and the additional sensor unit, and detects an abnormality in the device by distinguishing a location of occurrence. Anomaly detection system according to paragraph. 6. Anomaly detection system according to claim 5, wherein the additional sensor unit is attached to a sprocket wheel that feeds the chain. The sensor unit includes both an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor,
The abnormality detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the detection unit detects an abnormality based on an output from the acceleration sensor and an output from the angular velocity sensor. The sensor unit includes a strain detection section that detects strain of the chain together with the sensor,
The abnormality detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the detection unit detects an abnormality based on an output from the sensor and an output from the strain detection unit. the sensor unit comprises a temperature sensor together with the sensor;
The abnormality detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the detection unit detects an abnormality based on an output from the sensor and an output from the temperature sensor. The sensor unit further includes an imaging unit facing outward,
The anomaly detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the detection unit detects an anomaly based on the output from the sensor and the image or video from the imaging unit. The sensor unit further comprises a sound sensor along with the sensor,
The abnormality detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the detection unit detects an abnormality based on an output from the sensor and an output from the sound sensor. an acquisition unit that acquires an output from a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor that is fixed to the chain and the other parts of the equipment, respectively, attached to the equipment that includes the chain and other parts ;
a detection unit that detects an abnormality in the chain or the device based on a comparison result of the outputs acquired by the acquisition unit;
Based on the position of the fixing point of the sensor in the equipment at each point in time, the location of the occurrence of the detected abnormality in the equipment including the chain and the other parts is determined in the equipment of the fixing point of the sensor. an identifying unit that identifies based on the position at each point in time ;
An abnormality detection device comprising: an abnormality output unit that outputs the abnormality detected by the detection unit and the specified occurrence location in association with each other. obtaining an output from a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular rate sensor fixed to the chain and the other part of the equipment, respectively, attached to the equipment containing the chain and other parts ;
Detecting an abnormality in the chain or the device based on the obtained output comparison result,
Based on the position at each time point of fixing the sensor in the device, the location where the detected abnormality occurs in the device including the chain and the other parts is specified,
An anomaly detection method including a process of outputting the detected anomaly and the identified occurrence location in association with each other. to the computer,
obtaining an output from a sensor that is an acceleration sensor or an angular rate sensor fixed to the chain and the other part of the equipment, respectively, attached to the equipment containing the chain and other parts ;
Detecting an abnormality in the chain or the device based on the obtained output comparison result,
Based on the position at each time point of fixing the sensor in the device, the location where the detected abnormality occurs in the device including the chain and the other parts is specified,
A computer program that executes a process of correlating and outputting detected anomalies and identified occurrence locations.

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